Gossypiboma is the term used to refer to a mass formed by surgical material left in the body cavity after surgery. We present the case of a middle-aged woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis controlled with corticosteroids and biologic therapies, uncontrolled type II diabetes mellitus, and cesarean section with postoperative bleeding eight years earlier, who presents with right lower quadrant abdominal pain and is found to have a gossypiboma from her previous operation. A subsequent operation is undertaken to remove the gossypiboma...

BACKGROUND: Opioids are frequently used in chronic pain management but are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in some patient populations. An important avenue for identifying complications-including serious or rare complications-is the study of closed malpractice claims. The present study is intended to complement the existing closed claims literature by drawing on claims from a more recent timeframe through a partnership with a large malpractice carrier, the Controlled Risk Insurance Company (CRICO)...

INTRODUCTION: Globalization and urbanization have resulted in an increased demand on sand dredging. Legal and environmental restrictions on automated dredging have led to a rise in manual technique. The working techniques and environment involved in manual sand dredging may expose the workers to multiple work related disorders. AIM: To determine the health risks and occupational hazards involved in manual sand dredging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An assessment schedule was developed and content was validated by five experts for the study...

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. OBJECTIVE: Determine the impact of preoperative opioid use in workers' compensation (WC) patients undergoing lumbar diskectomy (LD). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The prevalence of back pain among opioid users approached 60%. Long term opioid dependence in spine surgery patients is roughly 20%. Despite pervasive use, there is no evidence to support long-term opioid analgesic use for back pain. METHODS: 10,592 patients received compensation from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation for a lumbar disc herniation between 2005-2012...

BACKGROUND: Persistent (chronic) pain is a frequent complaint in survivors of torture, particularly but not exclusively pain in the musculoskeletal system. Torture survivors may have no access to health care; where they do, they may not be recognised when they present, and the care available often falls short of their needs. There is a tendency in state and non-governmental organisations' services to focus on mental health, with poor understanding of persistent pain, while survivors may have many other legal, welfare, and social problems that take precedence over health care...

INTRODUCTION: The lack of economic development and longstanding conflict in Burma have led to mass population displacement. Unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion are common and contribute to maternal death and disability. In 2011, stakeholders operating along the Thailand-Burma border established a community-based distribution program of misoprostol for early abortion, with the aim of providing safe and free abortion care in this low-resource and legally restricted setting. METHODS: We conducted 16 in-depth, in-person interviews with women from Burma residing on both sides of the border who accessed misoprostol through the community-based distribution initiative...

BACKGROUND: Workplace modified duty programs may provide reasonable accommodations to employees who have partial temporary job disability and could work on duty accommodations until they fully recover. However, little is known about the implementation barriers and effectiveness of such programs. OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at evaluating the implementation of a modified duty program for employees in an oncology center. METHODS: A modified duty program for employees working at the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Center, a non profit organization with 200 employees located in the Republic of Cyprus was evaluated based on the health records of the occupational medicine department...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this commentary is to provide an argument for the role and identity of chiropractors as spine care providers within the context of the greater health care system. DISCUSSION: Surveys of the general public and chiropractors indicate that the majority of patients seek chiropractic services for back and neck pain. Insurance company utilization data confirm these findings. Regulatory and legal language found in chiropractic practice acts reveals that most jurisdictions define the chiropractic scope of practice as based on a foundation of spine care...

BACKGROUND: Non-fatal outcomes of disease and injury increasingly detract from the ability of the world's population to live in full health, a trend largely attributable to an epidemiological transition in many countries from causes affecting children, to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) more common in adults. For the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015), we estimated the incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for diseases and injuries at the global, regional, and national scale over the period of 1990 to 2015...

BACKGROUND: Effective management of minor ailments in community pharmacies could reduce the burden on alternative high-cost services (general practices, Emergency Departments). Evidence is needed regarding the appropriateness of management of these conditions in community pharmacies. OBJECTIVE: To explore the appropriateness of minor ailment management in community pharmacies. SETTING: Prospective, observational study of simulated patient (SP) visits to community pharmacies in Grampian (Scotland) and East Anglia (England)...

AIM: Linguistic adaptation of the Russian version of the Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 (SF-MPQ-2), which is conceptually equivalent to the original questionnaire. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The adaptation of the Russian version of SF-MPQ-2 was performed in accordance to established rules in several stages by two independent translators with the development of a consensus Russian version and its back translation by two independent translators and development of a consensus English version...

We present the results of a quantitative and qualitative study on the living conditions and health of prisoners in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The goal was to produce strategic information to support the action of public officials who work in prisons. The results show that prisoners are young (average age: 30 years), poor, mostly black and brown (70.5%), have little education (only 1.5% of them have a higher education), and have been in prison for less than four years. Among the problems that indirectly affect their health, we emphasize: overcrowding (1...

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Care for low back pain (LBP) is costly, fragmented and, in non-compensation populations, rarely specifically addresses factors associated with maintaining employment status or return to work (RTW). PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify modifiable independent risk factors for (1) a negative work status at presentation and (2) a change in work status during treatment in a cohort of LBP patients. The results are intended to inform improvement in best-evidence care pathways to maximize societal outcomes and overall value of a new model of care...

BACKGROUND: Caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol are the most widely used substances globally, but the majority of research on the associations among legal substance use and physical health has focused on the general population, not elite military personnel. The purpose of the current study was to describe patterns of tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine use and to examine the relationship of legal substance use with self-reported physical health complaints among US Air Force Pararescuemen (PJs) and Combat Rescue Officers (CROs)...

Cupping is a traditional treatment method that has been used for thousands of years to diminish pain, restore appetite and improve digestion, remove tendency to faint or remove 'bad blood' from the body. The suction of the cup is created by fire or mechanical devices. This procedure may result in circular erythema, petechiae, purpura, ecchymosis, burns and may be mistaken for trauma-related ecchymosis or livor mortis. Forty-year-old male was died by shotgun injuries in the same day of the wounding. Circular ecchymoses were observed on the forehead, within the scalp of occipital region, the back of the neck, and on the back...

BACKGROUND: The use of cannabis, or marijuana, for medicinal purposes is deeply rooted though history, dating back to ancient times. It once held a prominent position in the history of medicine, recommended by many eminent physicians for numerous diseases, particularly headache and migraine. Through the decades, this plant has taken a fascinating journey from a legal and frequently prescribed status to illegal, driven by political and social factors rather than by science. However, with an abundance of growing support for its multitude of medicinal uses, the misguided stigma of cannabis is fading, and there has been a dramatic push for legalizing medicinal cannabis and research...

BACKGROUND: Integrative health care (IHC) combines therapies and providers from complementary and conventional health care. Previous studies on IHC have shown power relations between providers but few studies have explored how the interaction develops over time. The objective of this study was to explore the development of IHC collaboration and interaction among participating providers during a series of consensus case conferences for managing patients with back and neck pain. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted within a pragmatic randomized controlled clinical trial in primary care...

OBJECTIVES: Return-to-work interventions associated with the workplace environment are often more effective than conventional care. The Sherbrooke model is an integrated intervention that has proved successful in preventing work disability due to low-back pain. Implementation, however, runs up against many obstacles, and failure has been reported in many countries. The present study sought to identify barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of the Sherbrooke model within the French health system...